


Chapel of Love

by pieprincess_andthe_fallenangel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Family Feels, Fluff, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Humour, Jack Kline as God, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Multiple Pov, The finale didn't happen, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, but Dean & Cas have POV sections at the end too, but don't worry bc all your faves are here, but i only tagged the main ones, he is NOT invited, implied that John W is homophobic but its never actually said, its verging on crack at some points ngl, lot's of characters in this fic, outsider pov, post 15x18, unless your fave is john winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pieprincess_andthe_fallenangel/pseuds/pieprincess_andthe_fallenangel
Summary: “We’re gathered here today,” Sam said loudly, being sure his voice carried through the gathering of family and friends, “to celebrate the love of Dean Winchester and Castiel.” Dean was standing in front of him, smiling so wide as he prepared to marry his best friend, so excited that he couldn’t seem to stand still, brimming with energy and happiness. Sam laughed. “So, let’s get these two idiots hitched, shall we?” That was met with cheers from the guests, which wasn’t exactly the etiquette for a normal wedding, but it certainly was for a hunter one.“Hey, be nice, it’s my wedding day,” Dean protested, fake-affronted, but Cas let out a short laugh.“No, I believe that is a fair assessment,” he confirmed, and Dean’s eyes turned soft again as he smiled back at his soon-to-be husband.Absoluteidiots.-S16, Time for a Wedding!Fix-it fic where Dean and Cas are getting married! Set after Jack realised that leaving his family is dumb, and also accidentally brought back to life every single person who Chuck killed off for kicks throughout the show.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	Chapel of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_october_reviewer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_october_reviewer/gifts).



> Listen this fic was going to be named after a Metallica song originally but it's now gone 18:00 on Feb 14th and I have not stopped singing 'Chapel of Love' by The Dixie Cups all freaking morning, so that's this fic's new name. Happy wedding day, Dean and Cas! You deserve it!
> 
> If you want to put this fic through a screen reader app, I have made a more phonetically pleasant fic [that you can find here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30002418). I recommend using that one instead. Though please be aware that I have changed the spelling and grammar on that fic for specific use with a screen reader, and so it is no longer suitable to be read instead of listened to.

“Do I look like a painted whore to you?” Dean protested as Charlie neared him with a makeup brush. She grinned.

“Well, you certainly did last night,” she reminded him and Dean – Dean Winchester, demon hunter, vampire slayer, the man who helped defeat _God_ less than three months ago – freaking _blushed_.

“You made me put that on!” he protested.

“Sure, Jan,” Charlie’s doppelganger responded. They’d decided to call her Charlie-X (for eXtreme since she was, you know, an angel-killing, apocalypse-world surviving _badass_!).

“No one _makes_ you do anything,” Charlie – good ol’ Earth 1 Charlie – added.

“And no one is able to do winged eyeliner that good on their first try,” Charlie-X said.

Dean rolled his eyes. “What can I say? I’m a natural.”

He was such a liar.

Charlie approached with the makeup brush again, and Dean leaned away further. Apparently, he only wore makeup when drunk… What a loser. And she meant that in the most affectionate way possible.

“Do you want me to get rid of that black eye or not?” Charlie demanded, crossing her arms, and Dean sighed as he looked into the mirror again to examine the bruise. The bachelor party last night may have gotten a little out of hand… Charlie could only blame herself for that one. Charlie-X had wanted to keep things a bit more casual and play some D&D – as in _Drinking_ and Dragons – and stuff themselves full of junk food. And that would have been great…

But _this_ Charlie had other plans… Plans which involved glitter, strippers, bright pink feather boas, a _lot_ of shots, and accidentally convincing Dean to go take a swing at his old man.

It was fair enough to say that John Winchester was no longer going to be at the wedding.

Surprisingly, Dean didn’t seem to care about that anymore… or maybe it wasn’t so surprising considering the choice words he’d let slip last night while absolutely _wasted_ on appletinis. The only thing Dean seemed to care about now was making that shiner disappear before he had to walk down the aisle in only a few hours.

They’d hoped Rowena might be able to help with that one but, apparently, the spell needed for it would have reacted poorly with the much-needed hangover cures. And they didn’t exactly have an angel on hand right now. Even if Cas had been here, getting ready for the wedding inside the bunker like Dean was – which he _wasn’t_ because everyone knew that would have only ended with them both sneaking off to have sex before the ceremony had begun – he wasn’t an angel anymore. Hadn’t been one since Jack brought him back from the Empty two months ago. That didn’t stop Dean from using ‘Angel’ as a pet name for the guy at any given opportunity, though.

Because he really was a sap.

Unfortunately, Jack was with Cas right now too, so that also took Godly healing off the board this morning, so makeup was the only option they still had left.

“Would you quit acting like a baby and just let me put makeup on you?” Charlie demanded and, after only a moment more of hesitation, Dean finally nodded and let her closer. She was able to put the concealer on over his black eye without any further complaints. Thankfully, there was only minor bruising, and his face wasn’t swollen. If it had been any worse, Charlie didn’t think she’d be able to help. As it was, a few different coloured concealers and a lot of blending, and Dean was as good as new. Charlie-X helped too, touching it up where Charlie herself missed, and then leaving to re-join Stevie and the rest of the wedding guests.

Charlie still found that strange. Learning she had a doppelganger from another world hadn’t really bothered her – she’d read enough comics to be familiar with the multiverse theory, thank you very much – but, somehow, finding out that the _other_ Charlie was in a committed relationship was able to knock the breath right out of her lungs.

She’d never really had that for herself before.

“You alright there?” Dean asked, picking up on her hesitation.

Charlie smiled and nodded. “Yeah.” She was alright; she was. Because besides the inkling of jealousy she felt settling in her chest, there was also a calmness to it all. In a way, it was kind of like a reassurance that, if she ever wanted to actually try for the whole settling-down thing, she could. “How are you doing?” she asked. “Nervous?”

“A little,” he admitted, turning back around to survey himself and his well-fitted white suit in the mirror. He was also wearing shiny black shoes, an embroidered ivory waistcoat, and a blue silk tie. It was definitely a show-stopper look. “I hate the waiting.”

Charlie could understand that. Dean and Cas might have had one of the shortest engagements in history, but it probably felt like much longer to them, considering how long they’d been dancing around each other and their feelings. Charlie was going to say as such, but she was cut off by a short tap on the door. They both turned to look that way as Sam came in and closed it behind him.

“Hey, look at you, you clean up alright after all,” he said. It was mostly a joke, but Charlie could hear the relief in Sam’s voice. He’d been at the bachelor party too, he’d known what had gone down. In fact, he had even taken part in the fight himself. And now they were all sworn to secrecy until after the wedding was over.

“Yeah, and if you’d let me cut your hair, you might have looked this good too,” Dean ribbed.

Sam rolled his eyes and ignored it. “Linda sent me with a message. She says if you don’t decide on which champagne you want serving during the toasts in the next five minutes, she’ll come down here and, I’m quoting here, ‘ _kick your lily-white ass_ ’.”

“Linda _Tran_ said that?” Charlie said, feeling sceptical, but Dean only grimaced.

“No, trust me, that checks out,” he muttered. He seemed to think about the question for a moment but shrugged. “I ain’t got a clue, Man. Champagne isn’t exactly my thing.” Sam looked like that answer would not sit well with Linda, so Charlie just laughed and shook her head.

“Listen, I’ll go try them and decide. Why don’t you… practice your speech or something?” she offered, but that only made Dean look nervous. “You did remember to _write_ your speech, right?”

“Fuck you; of course, I wrote my speech,” Dean defended himself, and Charlie raised her hands in a sign of peace.

“He’s been working on it for twelve years now,” Sam stage-whispered, receiving an unimpressed bitchface from Dean. Sort of, anyway. His eyes said ‘ _don’t mess with me_ ’, but he was struggling to keep the smile off his lips. Eventually, though, he sighed.

“Look, I’m just not one for the mushy crap, okay?” Dean admitted. “And I’m not particularly looking forward to having everyone’s eyes on me as I spout my undying love, or whatever.”

Charlie laughed. “Yeah, you’re definitely going to need to practice that speech.” Dean just flipped her off, but she continued to laugh as she left to find Linda.

The wedding ceremony was taking place in a field out back behind the bunker, but all the guests were milling around in the library for the time being, so Charlie went to check there first. She arrived in the room at the same time that the demon Crowley entered the bunker… dressed in a white suit jacket… which was not only a questionable choice for a wedding but also _far_ too similar to Cas and Dean’s for it to be a coincidence.

“Dear heavens, Fergus, what are you wearing?” Rowena immediately asked upon seeing him – she had, it seemed, become moderately more tolerable during the time that Charlie was dead.

“What? You think you’re the only one who’s allowed to dress to impress?”

Charlie decided she wasn’t going to touch this one with a five-foot pole, so she just kept on walking. She would really have to get the lowdown on what exactly happened during their ‘ _summer of love_ ’ one of these days because, _clearly_ , Crowley was not ready to move on. That… could be an issue.

Linda wasn’t in the library, but Charlie eventually found her in the kitchen, pouring herself a giant glass of red wine. Charlie imagined that she probably had earned that drink more than anyone else here. Organising a hunter wedding in only a little over a month was one hell of a job.

She didn’t have the different champagnes on hand to try, but she did have descriptions, so Charlie glanced down the list and picked one for the toasts. Linda left to tell Ash – who was also helping to organise the wedding since the reception would be at the Roadhouse; and, yeah, Charlie wasn’t sure exactly how _those two_ had made it through this whole thing without clashing even once – and Charlie left too.

But then she immediately backpeddled as an idea came to her. She poured herself a glass of red wine, said her goodbyes to the dress she was wearing, and then made sure to ‘accidentally’ run head-first into Crowley on her way back to Dean’s room. As planned, the wine went everywhere and ruined that white suit jacket of his.

“Whoops, sorry. I guess I’m still a bit drunk from last night,” Charlie laughed nervously, as Crowley rounded on her, flashing his red demonic eyes.

“Calm down, Fergus,” Rowena appeased, “it was just a wee mistake. I’m sure you’ll still look dashing without the jacket.” And, more importantly, without the jacket, he was dressed in a more acceptable black and grey. The witch gave Charlie a subtle wink and led her son away, and Charlie grinned. Yep, she was definitely more tolerable now.

* * *

Mary leant over and fixed Dean’s tie. It was the exact same shade of blue as the ribbon in her hair – made from the same material, in fact. That had been Dean’s idea, and Mary couldn’t help but think it was a particularly beautiful touch.

“There,” she said, stepping back and looking up at her son. He hadn’t stopped smiling for even a moment since she stopped by – and it was a true smile… wide and bright and all-encompassing.

He was so happy.

“You’re ready to go.”

“Have been all month,” Dean answered, even though it wasn’t a question. It was obvious that her boy was ready to be a married man.

Mary could feel the sting of happy tears against her eyes and had to take a deep breath to stop them from flowing before they messed up her makeup.

“Good. Now, important question: you’re not really going to make me watch you walking down the aisle to _Old Town Road_ , are you?” she asked lightheartedly, changing the topic to the first thing she could think of, and Dean nodded.

“Of course.”

She still couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

Mary sighed. “Well, at least it’s better than that Star Wars song.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that the Imperial March is a very classy choice,” Charlie added in, sounding entirely serious and almost a little offended. Dean laughed, and it made Mary’s smile.

Her boy was getting married today.

Dean was getting married, and…

Huh.

“Are you wearing makeup?”

Dean’s eyes went wide as he whipped his head around to glare at his Best Man – which was a gender-neutral term now, according to Charlie. “You told me no one could tell!”

Charlie shrugged apologetically. Mary cast a look between the two of them and shook her head, deciding that she probably didn’t want to know, so instead of asking she just grinned.

“You look fine,” she assured her son. And then, because she was maybe just a little wicked, she added on: “Though you would look better with some mascara and lipstick. Do you want to borrow mine? We could match.”

Dean hung his head in shame while Charlie laughed, but Mary just pressed a kiss to his cheek, lightly enough that she wouldn’t smudge _either_ of their makeup. She didn’t know what was going on, but she would always love him, no matter what.

Mary’s phone buzzed then inside her bag – a text from Linda Tran to the wedding group chat, informing everyone that Cas was on his way, so they had to take their positions.

“I better get going,” Mary said, gathering her things and giving her son one last appraisal. “You look great,” she said softly, and Dean echoed the sentiment. Mary turned to Charlie: “And you… don’t go spilling wine on my dress.”

“Cross my heart,” Charlie promised, looking down at the purple knee-length dress in question and straightening it out. “Thanks again for the loan.” It was a good thing that neither Cas nor Dean had decided that they wanted their party to all match, else she would have been out of luck for getting a spare outfit this close to the ceremony.

Mary smiled, gave her son one last hug before he became a married man, and left the room.

The guests had all left the bunker now to take their seats outside, which just left the wedding party inside, standing and waiting by the side door that would lead out onto the makeshift aisle that Linda had arranged.

There were a lot of people here all fit into a relatively narrow space, but that was okay; Mary liked that there were so many people out there who cared for her boys and considered them family – even if most of these people Mary barely even knew.

Like the guy with the mullet who had torn the sleeves off his suit jacket, for example. Mary didn’t know where to even _begin_ to process him.

Neither did Rowena, it seemed, as she immediately asked: “Dear boy, aren’t you cold?”

“Being cold is a small price to pay for looking fantastic,” the man answered, giving his hair a dramatic flick. Rowena, who was dressed fancier than anyone in this place, frowned.

“And that’s how you think that clown-wear looks?”

Thankfully, before either of them could make eye contact with Mary and drag her into this, Linda appeared and was quickly putting everyone into order. Mary was placed at the front of the queue besides Bobby – Apocalypse World Bobby, that is.

It was supposed to have been John walking alongside her down this aisle, but it had soon become obvious that none of them had really wanted him involved today, and they were all just putting on appearances for one another. Still, Dean invited him to the wedding – probably more out of a sense of duty than anything else – but when John’s response was lacklustre at best, they’d decided to keep him out of the procession itself. Which was good thinking, it seemed, as Sam had announced this morning that John wouldn’t be making an appearance at all today. Mary wasn’t sure exactly what had gone on there because no one was talking about it, but she swore once this day was over, she was going to track that man down and kick his ass.

She figured she would have plenty of company for that too.

Sam was officiating the wedding, so he stood in front of her, and the young flower girl stood behind. The girl’s father – that strange, gangly werewolf who was apparently a hunter too, once upon a time – was also one of the groomsmen and was currently crouched down and adjusting the girl’s pale pink dress. Mary smiled as she watched them interact, though it made her a little sad too; she’d missed out on her boys’ childhoods, and it still stung. She couldn’t help wishing that things had been different, even though she knew how great they were now.

The werewolf was partnered with Eileen, and behind them stood the mullet guy (Mary thought his name might have been Ash) with Jo Harvelle, behind them were Rowena and that Southern vampire who seemed far too attached to Dean, then Jody and Donna.

There had been others, too, that the boys had wanted to add to the procession, but they’d had to cut the list down to make sure that there were at least _some_ regular guests.

Mary turned back to Bobby and Sam, all of them waiting to hear the opening notes of that ridiculous song…

“I suppose we should just be grateful that they didn’t make us wear cowboy boots,” Sam muttered, clearly thinking the exact same thing as her, and Mary laughed. She probably wouldn’t have minded that, though… she looked _good_ as a cowgirl.

But when the song finally began to play, she sighed in relief, as did everyone in the line behind her who had all also heard about the apparent plan to combine Cas’ love of pop and rap music with Dean’s love of cowboys for their ceremony. But instead of _Old Town Road_ , the soft opening notes of Metallica’s _Nothing Else Matters_ strummed out across the yard, and the processional began.

Linda opened the door and ushered them out, Sam walking down the pebbled pathway first. At the end of the aisle was a large oak tree, decorated with ribbons of all colours, and that was where Sam stood. Whereas Mary and Bobby moved to stand in the front row of white fold-out seats. It was a cold morning today, but that didn’t matter when there were also so many space heaters surrounding the seats laid out to the right and left of the aisle. After getting to their chairs, Mary turned back around to see the flower girl skipping happily down the pathway, followed by the rest of the wedding party while the soft strumming continued to play through the speakers on the lawn.

Charlie appeared then, walking down the aisle in her borrowed purple dress – no wine stains on it yet, thank god – and then Cas’ Best Man, Claire.

And then Dean, looking so handsome and happy in his white suit as he was escorted down the aisle by this world’s Bobby.

Mary kept her eyes solely on her beautiful young boy, so proud of the man he had become. It was only once Dean reached the head of the aisle and turned back around, his eyes lighting up and his smile growing ten-fold, that Mary realised that Cas must have made his entrance.

Jack accompanied Cas down the aisle, hugging both Cas and Dean before taking a seat beside Mary and the two Bobby’s in the front row. Mary felt close to tears again as she took in the scene – Dean standing there and smiling wide next to his soon-to-be husband, both of them in matching white suits, practically bursting with excitement.

She had only ever wanted the best for her boys, and seeing Dean looking so carefree, and in-love made her heart soar higher than ever before. She’d missed a lot in Dean’s life, but she was so glad that she hadn’t been forced to miss this too.

* * *

Sam had never seen Dean smile so wide as he was doing right now, standing at the altar and preparing to marry his best friend. He was so thrilled that he couldn’t seem to stand still, brimming with energy and happiness.

The song faded out, and so Sam straightened up and cleared his throat.

“We’re gathered here today,” he said loudly, being sure his voice carried through the gathering of family and friends, “to celebrate the love of Dean Winchester and Castiel.” Sam laughed to himself, smirking momentarily as he continued with: “So, let’s get these two idiots hitched, shall we?” That was met with cheers from the guests, which wasn’t exactly the etiquette for a normal wedding, but it certainly was for a hunter one.

“Hey, be nice, it’s my wedding day,” Dean protested, fake-affronted, but Cas let out a short laugh.

“No, I believe that is a fair assessment,” he confirmed, and Dean’s eyes turned soft again as he smiled back at his soon-to-be husband.

Absolute _idiots_.

“For the opening reading,” Sam said once everyone had settled down again, “I suggested a few poems by Pablo Neruda, T. S. Eliot, and Shakespeare… But, Dean had other ideas, so I guess I’m going to read you the lyrics of this Led Zeppelin song, instead.”

“Don’t worry, man; when it’s your wedding, you can read all the sappy poetry you want,” Dean responded, and Sam rolled his eyes even as it received a hoot of support from the attendees. Sam tried to resist the urge to look over at Eileen, but he, of course, failed. She was as beautiful as always and blushing. Sam wondered if his cheeks were that red too.

Sam shook his head to clear his thoughts and started reading aloud the lyrics to _Thank You_.

Dean knew the song well and began mouthing the lyrics too, all the while staring deeply into Cas’ eyes in a way which was beginning to make Sam feel uncomfortable – nothing new there, though. He’d been third-wheeling it between these two for twelve goddamn years.

“ _And so today, my world it smiles. Your hand in mine, we walk the miles_ ,” Sam continued to read. At this point, Cas reached across and took Dean’s hand in his own. “ _Thanks to you, it will be done, for you to me are the only one_.”

He had to pause the reading then, as suddenly Dean and Cas just started making out in front of everyone. Charlie and Claire both had to physically pull them apart while the guests all laughed and cheered.

Well, everyone except Crowley, who just yelled “ _Skanks_!” at them from where he was sitting in the back row.

“Easy, Cowboy,” Charlie chastised as the pair finally broke apart. “You gotta wait ‘til after your vows for that part.”

“Well, Sam talks too slow,” Cas complained.

Sam just rolled his eyes and continued the reading. He managed to get through the final verse without any more interruptions from the stupidly happy couple gazing into each other’s eyes up here on the altar as though no one else was around.

Sam nodded to himself and looked around at the guests sitting in front of them. “Anyone who knows Dean and Cas knows that these two have been through Hell and back. Literally.” Some more laughter from the attendees. “They weren’t ‘ _meant to be_ ’, but they said a big screw you to God’s plan – again, _literally_ – and they chose each other anyway. They’ve been through a lot, but they always come out of it, together, stronger than ever before.

“They love and accept each other for who they are, flaws and all, and that’s what marriage is about.”

Dean finally broke eye contact with Cas to throw a smirk Sam’s way. “I thought we agreed no chick flick moments.”

“Shut up and let me get you two married already,” Sam rebuffed, and another, softer, wave of laughter went through the rows of guests. “Alright, rings and vows,” he said gesturing to the Best Men before looking back between Cas and Dean again. “Who’s going first?”

“I am,” they both responded at the exact same time. Again, another roar of laughter from the attendees.

Again, except Crowley, who instead shouted “When do I get to object?” over the noise of the crowd. He received a glare from Cas for that one and a roll of the eyes from Dean. Rowena just told him to hush.

“So… vows?” Sam prompted, and Dean shrugged.

“Flip a coin?” he suggested, so they did.

Cas called heads while it was in the air, but it landed on tails, so Jo shouted: “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get head later tonight.” That, of course, caused another uproar. At the same time, Garth covered his young daughter’s ears and hissed back to Jo about her language.

The noise meant that no one really heard Dean’s muttered: “You’re damn right he will.” No one but Cas and Sam – who was _seriously_ regretting his decision to officiate this wedding.

Everything died back down again, so Charlie passed Dean the ring, and he went about saying his vows while slipping it onto Cas’ finger. They’d decided not to write their own vows since they were doing speeches later, so Sam had just tweaked a sample one off the internet that they both liked:

“I, Dean, take you, Cas, to be my husband, my best friend, and the love of my life.” The ring was already on now, but Dean kept holding Cas’ hand as he listed off the memorised vows. “In front of our friends and family, I vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honour and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we live.”

Cas kept held of Dean’s hand as Claire passed him the ring, and he repeated the vows back to Dean while the two of them collectively wore the biggest grins Sam had seen.

It was maybe a little bit infectious.

For as much as the pair of them had given Sam a headache this morning – well, let’s be honest, they’d been giving him a headache for twelve years now – he was glad to be the one up here with them.

“Now this wedding is about as unofficial as they come,” Sam announced to the guests, “considering Dean is presumed dead in all fifty states, and Cas wasn’t even born, so we’re gonna skip the whole signing of the licence part because Dean says it sounds boring.”

“Damn right.”

“So, without further ado, and by the powers vested in me by… Jack –” Jack perked up at the sound of his name and waved; Dean, Cas, and Sam all waved back “– I now pronounce you married.” Before Sam could even tell them that they could make out now, Cas had already grabbed Dean by the lapels of his suit jacket and dipped him into a dramatic kiss.

Sam raised his hands up in a ‘whatever’ gesture while all the guests whooped and cheered and laughed as loud as they could. The kiss went on for far longer than was considered in good-taste, and by the time that the two righted again, Dean was positively flustered and as bright red in the cheeks as Sam had ever seen him. But he grinned, grabbed Cas’ hand, and they rushed down the aisle together while the guests all threw seeds in their wake.

“I told him to do that,” Claire boasted once she was done laughing, and then she high-fived Charlie.

Finally, Sam laughed. He was surrounded by idiots, and he loved them all.

* * *

“We’ve got a lot of speeches to get through today, and Linda has warned us all to keep them short and sweet, or she’ll cut the power to the microphone,” Mary said, gaining a laugh from the crowd. Bobby didn’t laugh though; he’d received the exact same threat from Mrs Tran earlier today, and the fire in her eyes was damn scarier than it had any right to be. “Though that’s probably a good thing, because I’m sure I’ll turn into a blubbering mess if I stand up here too long, but I have a reputation as a hunter to uphold.”

They were all sitting in the Roadhouse now for the reception – himself, Mary, Sam, Jack, Claire, Charlie, and Dean and Cas all sitting upfront as everyone else was spread out on tables around the room. Bobby couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. He’d been dead for more than 8 years, and during which time, Sam and Dean’s family had only grown and grown. He’d been back for a few months now – they all had; all revived by _accident_ on the same day when Jack had chosen to undo all of Chuck’s meddling – and that feeling of not belonging still hadn’t left yet. But his boys still wanted Bobby around, so that was good enough for him.

Hell, it made him feel over the damn moon, actually. He’d never thought he’d walk _anyone_ down the aisle. And he’d never have known how happy it would make him to be asked by someone who he considered a son.

“You know, I remember that first day that I brought Dean home like it was just yesterday rather than 42-years ago,” Mary said. “Though, of course, to me, it was only seven years ago, but that’s another story.” Bobby laughed along with the rest of the room. Though he had a better idea than most of how much that must of hurt their mother. If it hurt Bobby to be out of their lives for eight years, it must have hurt Mary a helluva lot more to be gone for _thirty-three_! “He was such a chubby little thing, and so damn happy. I swear that he smiled at me that first night – the doctors say it’s impossible, that babies don’t smile until they’re six weeks, but I _swear_ that my little boy looked up at me and smiled, and he _meant_ it.

“He’s always been so filled with life and love, even after everything that’s happened in his life. And I think that is at least in part due to Castiel. I’m sure you’ve all seen it too, how these two just light up around each other.” Like they were doing right now, practically sitting in each other’s laps as they gazed happily at one another. If it wasn’t their wedding day, Bobby’d tell them to get a damn room already. “You two make each other so happy, and as a mother, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for my kids.”

Dean reached over and held his mother’s hand, whispering his thanks. And, true to her word, Mary’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“When you were little, I used to tell you that angels were watching over you. It was just a saying back then… but I guess I was right.” Mary took a deep breath then and turned to Cas. “Castiel, I am so happy to call you my son.”

She hugged them both, and the crowd clapped – and that included the _other_ Bobby Singer, the one from what everyone kept calling the ‘Apocalypse World’; Bobby could only imagine how fucked up _that_ place had been if _this_ one was the happy one.

Mary sat back down, tears still in her eyes, and Bobby sighed. Well, damn. Now it was _his_ turn.

He took the microphone from Mary and stood up.

Everyone’s eyes were on him immediately, and he certainly hated it, but he supposed it was a small price to pay to be part of this family.

“I’ve got quite the speech to follow up there, haven’t I?” Bobby started. “Well, I ain’t much for words, but I’ll see what I can do.”

He looked out across the room at the faces, both familiar and unfamiliar alike. Even those who he had once known felt like strangers to him now… like Garth, and Jody, and – hell – even _Crowley_. He didn’t know yet whether that made this easier or harder.

“Whenever I think of Dean, there’s an old Japanese proverb comes to mind: _Baka na ko hodo kawaii._ ” It meant something along the lines of ‘ _the more stupid the child, the dearer he is_ ’, though Bobby didn’t clarify that bit of information.

Being one of the only people in the room who understood Japanese, Cas gave a short laugh, but Dean either didn’t notice or didn’t care as he continued to stare wide-eyed up at Bobby, smile firmly in place. He hadn’t stopped smiling once since he’d said his vows.

“You see, he’s my kid –” Sam and Dean, they were _both_ his boys. Or, at least, they were in every way that counted “– and I love him something rotten. So, being asked to be apart of this big day meant more to me than I can say. Though it would have been a damn sight better without this stupid monkey suit.” That gained him another laugh. “I can’t remember the last time I went anywhere without my cap.” More laughter, as well as some expected heckling about him going bald. He rolled his eyes.

He decided he should probably get back on track… because, yeah, he wasn’t kidding when he’d said he was no good at this…

“You know, I was there when these two knuckleheads first met,” Bobby said once everyone had calmed down again, and then shrugged. “I mean… I was passed out on the floor, but I was there.” Of course, Rufus then heckled him and called him an alcoholic. Bobby told him to do one, which probably wasn’t the most eloquent thing to say during a wedding speech, but hell, this wasn’t exactly a normal wedding.

No one seemed to mind.

“Anyway, I was awake just long enough to see Dean stab the guy in the heart, but hey, I guess that’s just his way of flirting.” The room laughed. “Well, it worked out in the end, though, so who am I to judge?” At that, Dean and Cas smiled at each other and shared a kiss. And as brief as it may be, it still got the crowd cheering. “Next thing I know, the guy’s rebelling from Heaven for Dean… In hindsight, I probably should’ve clocked on then that they were pining for each other. But, hey, it may have taken ‘em twelve years, but they got here eventually.”

Linda was tapping at her watch at the back of the room, so Bobby figured he’d better move this along before she tackled him for the mic.

She’d probably win.

“I didn’t get to see all of their journey – one of the drawbacks of being dead for the past eight years – but I can see that everything they’ve been through has only made them stronger, has only made them love each other more, and that’s what matters most.” Bobby raised his glass then, turning to the happy couple and ending his speech with: “Boys, I wish you both a long and happy marriage.”

They drank to that, and Bobby passed the mic across the table before taking his seat.

Dean leant around Cas to look at Bobby and said his thanks, following it up with: “I have to ask, did you insult me in Japanese?”

“Only a little bit,” Bobby answered fondly, and Dean nodded.

“Good. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jack was the next one to stand up, looking an odd mix of uncomfortable and confident. Bobby hadn’t really got the chance to know the kid yet and wasn’t too sure what to expect from this speech seeing as he was: A – Lucifer’s nephilim, B – a three-year-old, and C – God.

It was a bit of an odd mix, even by an old hunter’s standards.

“Before I was born, I chose Castiel to be my dad,” Jack said, as though remembering being a foetus was just a normal everyday occurrence that everyone could relate to. “I can only remember bits and pieces about that time, but I remember feeling _safe_ whenever we were with him. But then Lucifer killed him –” Bobby was beginning to think someone should have given this kid pointers about what kind of things you did and did not talk about in a wedding speech “– and I met Sam and Dean, and they became my fathers too.”

Bobby looked around to see if anyone else was getting whiplash from this speech.

“I got to learn what Dean is like with Cas, and I also saw what he is like without him, and it was through that, that I got to learn what love was like,” the God-child continued, and Bobby turned back to face him again. “Sometimes, to quote that Nazareth song that Dean likes so much… love hurts. It can burn you, and it can scar your heart. But something that the song _doesn’t_ say, but really should, is that it’s alright; because even in the dark days, there will always be a light to guide you back home.”

Despite everything, that was actually pretty deep.

Jack’s grin grew wider.

“Cas and Dean are each other’s lights in the darkness,” he said, “and watching them fight for their love and their lives together, I have never been prouder to call them my fathers.”

Bobby smiled.

Maybe the kid wasn’t so bad at this, after all.

* * *

“Ladies, gentlemen,” Charlie said as she began her speech, and then she grinned before continuing to list off: “werewolves, vampires… witches, and bitches.” Everyone laughed.

“You forgot demons,” someone heckled… it was a British guy; the one who had been booing at the reception. Claire didn’t know who he was or what he was doing here as Cas _clearly_ didn’t care for him – if the way he muttered ‘ _we were trying to_’ under his breath was anything to go by, anyway.

“You were covered under the ‘ _bitches_ ,’ Crowley,” Kevin responded loud enough for everyone to hear, receiving more laughter and a smack on the back of the head from his mother. Claire had only spoken with them two briefly before, but she decided now that she liked them.

“We are gathered here today,” Charlie continued, “to celebrate these two idiots finally getting a damn clue!” The guests cheered around them, and Claire suddenly felt nervous about her own upcoming speech. It sucked, and there was no way it would get anywhere near the kind of reception that Charlie’s was getting.

For a moment, she thought about asking to sit it out, but then she looked over at Cas and her heart sunk. She couldn’t do that to him. He deserved better than that.

“Dean and Cas are two of my best friends,” Charlie said. “I’ve known Dean for longer, sure.” She shrugged and then leant forward and stage-whispered “But I kinda like Cas better” before raising a finger to her lips and making a shushing sound.

Dean began to let out a complaint at that, but Cas immediately silenced him with a kiss, which once again got the crowd cheering.

Claire rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

“They’re not exactly what you might call a normal couple. Not even in hunter definitions. But I say screw being normal.” That was met with a collective ‘ _yeah_!’ from the guests, and Claire nodded.

“I’ll drink to that,” she said, moving to grab Cas’ glass but he was quicker than she was and swiped it quickly out of the way with a shake of his head. “What? I’m not allowed a glass of champagne at the wedding of the guy who’s wearing my dead dad’s body?”

She regretted her words almost instantly. She forgot that sometimes her jokes came off as malicious rather than just dark-natured. Kaia would have been able to laugh and ease the situation if she was here, but she was sitting a few tables down with Jody, Donna, and Alex.

Thankfully, though, Cas knew her well as he only smiled, and Dean shook his head while responding with: “Not unless you’re twenty-one, you don’t.”

Claire rolled her eyes and picked up her own glass, which was unfortunately filled with apple juice as though she was a three-year-old. She may have sulked a little as Charlie continued with her speech, sharing a story of Cas and Dean being disgustingly couple-y on a hunt a couple of weeks ago that made most people in the room laugh. Claire glanced across the crowd, smiling at where the rest of her family were sitting a few tables along.

And not far behind Kaia was that same British guy as earlier who was just sitting there and downing an entire bottle of vodka by himself…

Did demons have a higher tolerance for alcohol than people did? She’d never exactly thought to ask before…

“Anyway,” Charlie continued, regaining Claire’s attention, “this is all to say, that in all my life I have never met a more dysfunctional, yet perfect couple than Cas and Dean. So, to celebrate their happy union, let’s all get completely wasted and have a good time, yeah?”

Oh, she would if she could.

It was Claire’s turn now, and she took the mic from Charlie as she stood up, though her stomach seemed to stay seated. So, perhaps it was a good thing that she hadn’t had any of that champagne, after all…

Claire smiled nervously out at the large room of hunters, trying not to fidget. “Hey, er… most of you don’t know me. Which, er, sucks for you, I guess,” she laughed, and she thought she saw a few people in the crowd smiling back, but she suddenly couldn’t hear anything over the pounding in her ears. “I’m Claire, and I’m also the last speaker so, don’t worry, we’ll all get to eat soon enough.”

That time she _definitely_ got a laugh, and it helped in part to ease her nerves a little. But what helped more than that was when her eyes found Kaia’s and they shared a smile.

“You don’t meet people like Dean Winchester and Castiel every day, you know,” Claire said, more confident now. “And when you do first meet them, you might think that there is no way that they could work, they’re just that different. I mean, take Dean – he is a junk-food addict who has not only seen, but can also quote, every single movie ever made. Whereas Cas can barely understand a Star Trek reference and only actually learnt what pop tarts were… like a week ago.”

“That’s because he’s _basic_ ,” shouted the British demon at the back of the room. And, yep, high alcohol tolerance notwithstanding, he was _definitely_ drunk. But demon or not, Claire wasn’t going to let him badmouth Cas. That was her job.

So, she squared her jaw and crossed her arms. “Hey, don’t talk about Dean like that! He has some good qualities too.”

While everyone was laughing at that and throwing in their own jibes, Sam and Eileen led Crowley outside for some fresh air.

“And don’t forget to exorcise him before you come back in!” another hunter, who Claire was pretty sure was named Rufus, shouted after them. His comment received a fair few cheers.

“Damn right,” Claire muttered, accidentally into the microphone. There was some more cheering before everyone settled again. “Anyway, like I was saying…” she cast a glance back down to the newlyweds, noting how comfortably they were sitting together, even despite the preceding ruckus. “Cas and Dean are two very different people,” she said, looking back out at the crowd. “But their differences complement each other – they work together, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.”

Claire had a few other examples lined up, like chilli and chocolate, and peanut butter and jelly… but she decided that the puzzle one was enough on its own.

“So, differences be damned, you know,” she continued. “Despite them, they’re better together, because they love each other. And I hope that one day I will be so lucky to marry someone who loves me like that.”

Claire finished her toast, blushing only a little bit as she caught eyes again with Kaia, by raising her glass and taking a sip.

And then she had to immediately hold back her cough of surprise because that was definitely no longer apple juice in her glass.

Claire took her seat, turning to Jack with a question in her eyes. He only grinned back, but that was all the answer she needed.

Huh – apple juice into champagne.

It sure was fun to have God as her sort-of brother.

* * *

“Alright, grubs up!” Ash called once the last of the speeches were done and he got the go-ahead from Mrs Tran. They’d lined all of the pool tables up at the back wall, covered them with boards, and that was where the buffet was laid out.

While everyone got up to grab some food, Ash dipped into the back, grabbing a metal canister from the fridge, and returning to the main room again to hand it over to the vampire.

“You can’t say the Roadhouse doesn’t accommodate for all dietary needs,” he said, “even that of a bloodsucker.”

The vampire, Benny, took the canister with a smile. “Should I be offended by that?” he asked before he took a swig.

“That’s up to you, I guess,” Ash shrugged. It wasn’t like he was a fan of vamps, but Dean had vouched for this one, so he’d give him a chance.

“Mmm, type AB positive,” Benny drawled after lowering the canister back down from his lips. He grinned up at Ash. “Refreshing.”

“You’re _weird_ , Man,” Ash said, shaking his head before letting out a short laugh. “I dig it.” He turned back around to grab a plate of food for himself before sliding into a seat at a table with Ellen, Jo, and Rufus. “What’s up, happy people? You like what I’ve done with the place?”

The Roadhouse was, of course, originally Ellen’s bar. But that one had burnt down like 13 years ago. Ellen hadn’t been in any rush to rebuild, but Ash hadn’t felt right without the place. Even in heaven, the Roadhouse had been his home. So, he got the go-ahead from Ellen, wired himself some money straight from a billionaire’s bank account, and built himself a bar. This place was all his now.

“It looks great, Ash,” Jo said at the same time as Rufus muttered: “The whiskey sucks.”

“Hey, that’s some top-shelf swill I’m serving tonight,” Ash rebutted.

“Emphasis on _swill_.”

“Rufus,” Ellen chastised, though they all knew that wasn’t going to do any good. Rufus Turner was a surly son of a bitch at the best of times.

“Nah, it’s alright, Ellen,” Ash responded. “We all know he’s got delicate tastebuds.” Jo laughed while Rufus grunted something inaudible under his breath. Ash couldn’t hear it, but he had no doubt that it was an insult. That was alright, though, he had a soft spot for the old man. “That’s why I got in a bottle of blue label, just for you,” Ash continued around a mouthful of mashed potato. He nodded to the kitchen, and Rufus grinned.

“Now, that’s more like it,” he said, smacking Ash enthusiastically on the shoulder as he got up to find the good stuff.

“You spoil him,” Ellen said, shaking her head. Ash only shrugged. That’s what family was for.

And speaking of family…

There was a loud squeal of laughter coming from the buffet area, and all eyes turned to watch as Eileen squirmed and laughed while Sam struggled to hold her still long enough to blow raspberries on her neck. Beside them, Dean had his mouth filled to the brim with food, his cheeks ballooned up like a chipmunk, looking as though he was only one surprised laugh away from choking to death. Meanwhile, Cas was hugging him tightly from behind, his head rested on Dean’s shoulder as they both fondly watched the scene play out in front of them.

“They look happy, don’t they?” Jo said.

Ash nodded. “Yeah, it’s gross.”

Ellen responded by batting at his arm and rolling her eyes. Ash shrugged and continued eating. He couldn’t help but think about how that’s what everyone kept saying about them today, though. That they were happy. Maybe that was just the norm for a wedding – Ash wouldn’t know, he hadn’t been to any before – or maybe it was just because _this_ wedding was filled with hunters. There weren’t that many people here who got their happy ever after. So, seeing it now, seeing that unadulterated joy shining for the whole world to see, and seeing it from the _Winchesters_ no less, who had more reason than most to be sullen, silent grouches… well, it was a welcome surprise.

Their table wasn’t the only one watching the Winchesters, they had the attention of pretty much every eye in this joint. But that was just what happened when you were A – the newlyweds, and/or B – famous (at least on the hunter scene, anyway). Basically, the only time anyone in this room wasn’t staring at them, they were staring at Jack. You know… since he was the new God, and all that. There was a hell of a lot of questions surrounding that one…

Ash didn’t like to pry, though. So he just ate up what was on his plate in peace.

“I need a beer,” he decided a moment later, extending the offer to Jo and Ellen as he got up. They both nodded, so he retreated to grab a few bottles from behind the bar. He was bent down and knocking the lids off each one when someone approached him.

“Oh, barkeep,” the woman called, and Ash tensed. He only just about managed to put on a fake smile as he turned around to face Rowena.

“It’s you again.” He swore it was taking all of his efforts to not just kick this woman out of here. God, why had the Winchesters decided to make so many friends out of their bad guys?!

“Yes, it’s I,” the witch responded with a dramatic flourish of her hands. “Now there’s no need to get all gushy about how my beauty fills you with inspiration, and my voice fills you with warmth, and my charms have no bounds. I’ve heard it all before.”

“Right, yeah,” Ash nodded. “Took the words right outta my mouth.”

“I’ll take a gin and tonic,” Rowena continued, ignoring his attitude. Ash just reached over and passed her the entire bottle of gin. Maybe she would be more tolerable if she were drunk.

“Tonic’s at the buffet. Knock yourself out,” he said, managing to omit the ‘please’ from his sentence.

It was an open-bar tonight, courtesy of the money he’d stolen from Donald Trump’s offshore account – and apparently, that doofus was a politician now?! Weird time to be alive, man – but Rowena slipped a couple of bills into Ash’s suit jacket as she took the bottle from him and sauntered off. Ash shrugged and stuffed the cash into his wallet without correcting her. He’d take it as a tip.

He hopped over the counter and grabbed the three bottles of beer, taking a detour on his way back to the table to grab one more plate of nachos from the buffet. Linda Tran was the only one there at the moment, refilling some of the empty containers with more food. She smiled and nodded at him as he grabbed a new plate. Before either of them could speak, though, there was suddenly the loud sound of someone coughing up a storm and launching a glass at a nearby wall. It was that demon Crowley again, his mouth visibly smoking as he grabbed the wine glass right out of a nearby hunter’s hand and chugged the whole thing.

“Alright,” Ellen called, hands on her hips and looking serious. “Who spiked the demon’s drink with holy water?” Beside Ash, Mrs Tran grinned.

“That would be my boy,” she said quietly, calmly, her voice ringing with pride. Ash just laughed.

“Mrs Tran,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I think you might just be my new best friend.”

“Back at you, Doctor Badass.”

* * *

“Yowzah, that’s a big pie,” Donna exclaimed, and Jody turned to see that man with a mullet who had torn the sleeves off his suit jacket was rolling out a giant pie on a trolly. Jody laughed. _Of course_ , there would be pie at Dean Winchester’s wedding buffet.

“Do you want some?” she asked, turning back to Donna and the girls.

“Ooh, I couldn’t. I’m more stuffed than a turkey on thanksgiving,” Donna replied. Alex and Kaia also shook their heads no.

“Suit yourselves, I’m getting dessert,” she said, standing up and straightening out her dress before stepping back up to the buffet. There was another woman there – a redhead with a long, flowing blue dress, wearing more jewellery than Jody had ever seen one person wear before. She wasn’t paying the food much attention though and was instead filling up a giant fish-bowl glass to the brim with gin and tonic.

Jody smiled at the man who was making room on the table to put the pie down.

“You make this yourself?” she asked, helping to move around the plates for him.

“Nah, I’m not much of a cook. More of a hacker,” the guy said. He finally had enough room to fit the pie on the table, and then he offered Jody his hand to shake. “Name's Ash, but you can call me Doctor Badass.”

Jody laughed. She’d heard her fair few stories about him lately. They ranged from ridiculous to sleazy, but Jody wasn’t one to judge. Plus, he was clearly close with the brothers since it was his idea to have the wedding here after he’d revived the Roadhouse.

“I’m Jody,” she said, shaking his hand before reaching for a knife to cut the pie – which was apple and rhubarb, according to the tag wrapped around the pan – and Ash passed her a plate. “This is a pretty decent spread you got here.”

“You’re kidding, right?” came the Scottish twang on the redheaded woman who had already downed half of her drink while Jody had been standing here. “This load of bullcrap? Quite frankly, I’d rather eat haggis.”

“I…” Jody stared for a moment and then frowned. “I have no idea what that is.”

“Trust me, Darling, you’re better off not knowing,” the woman said, and then she shook her head and left, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder as she went.

“I swear, I’m not much of a fighter, but I might just kill that witch,” Ash muttered, staring after her retreating form, and Jody laughed.

“Calm down, Doctor Badass,” she said. “The invitation specifically said that no murder was allowed.”

“I’ll make it look like an accident.”

“Good luck with that.”

When Jody turned back around, her eyes fell on the redheaded witch again – who she could now safely assume was Rowena – as the woman dragged Sam up to the karaoke machine and made him duet _Careless Whisper_ with her. At the Grooms’ table, Dean was laughing up a storm and recording the whole thing on his phone. Though Cas, it seemed, was more interested in watching _Dean_ than the pair on the karaoke machine. When Dean finally turned around to meet Cas’ eyes, he blushed and leant over for a kiss. Jody looked away to give them some privacy as she sat down with her pie.

She was glad they were happy, though. They deserved it.

* * *

Eileen wouldn’t exactly say that she was on ‘ _Kevin duty_ ’ because that felt rude. However, after they’d discovered he was the one who kept spiking Crowley’s drinks with holy water, they’d started taking it in turns to keep the former-prophet and his mother pre-occupied enough that neither of them would escalate the situation further than it already had. Not that anyone blamed them for wanting a little payback with the former King of Hell, but they all thought it was in everyone’s best interest to keep the bloodshed to a minimum tonight. First, it had been Charlie keeping an eye on them. Then Charlie-X and Stevie, and now it was Eileen.

She hadn’t truly had much time to speak with Kevin before, but that didn’t matter much as she struck up a conversation with the Tran family attendees. She was surprised to find that both mother and son were well-practised in ASL, having both learnt it while Kevin was in high school so as to add it onto his university applications.

“ _Wait. You took on an entire vampire nest all by yourself_?” Kevin signed to her, appearing astonished, and Eileen laughed and nodded.

“ _Yes, it just kind of happened_.” She shrugged, it wasn’t exactly something she would recommend doing or idolising, it had been pretty reckless actually. But, hey, she was allowed to brag about herself every now and then. And after Linda had left to go deal with an issue with the wedding cake, Eileen and Kevin had both just fallen into hunting stories. Although Kevin’s stories mostly revolved around a computer, he still had some good anecdotes to share.

Before they could talk any more, though, Eileen was being tapped on the shoulder. She turned around to find Claire and Kaia, both grinning wide with a laughter Eileen couldn’t hear. Kaia pointed towards the karaoke machine, and Eileen followed her gaze to find Sam standing up there awkwardly with Rowena draped over his arm, the two of them singing along to Grease’s ‘ _You’re the One that I Want_ ’. Sam’s eyes were wide and pleading for help.

Eileen laughed.

“This is their third song,” Claire told her, trying to keep the smile off her face to make it easier for Eileen to read her lips, and Eileen only laughed harder.

“ _Is Sam like… your boyfriend or something_?” Kevin signed to her once she finally glanced back around at him. And if she wasn’t mistaken, Eileen could have sworn he looked disappointed. She nodded. “ _That’s cool. Sam’s… cool._ ”

“ _I think so_ ,” she signed back and then returned her gaze back to the karaoke stage. The song was nearly over now, but Eileen suspected Rowena wasn’t going to let Sam leave quite so easily. She sighed and turned back to Kevin. “ _I better go rescue him_.”

Kevin nodded, so Eileen quickly made her way through the crowd, leaving Claire and Kaia to keep Kevin out of trouble. Though, a voice in her head told her that perhaps they would only end up doing the exact opposite…

Eileen ignored that though as she stood at the side of the stage and waited.

“Do you mind if I butt in?” she asked once the song was seemingly over, and Rowena smiled.

“Of course, go ahead, Darling. Samuel’s not giving me much to work off anyway,” she said, shaking her head, and Eileen laughed. She could see why everyone liked Rowena.

Sam threw his arm over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of her forehead. She could read his gratitude for her rescue in his body language long before she looked up and read the words from his lips.

“You’re welcome,” she grinned. They took seats at the table where his mother and the Apocalypse World Bobby were currently sitting. Mary immediately began making jokes about his performance, and Sam just kept flushing redder and redder with embarrassment.

For a giant and well-feared hunter, Sam Winchester really was cute.

Eileen settled back into her chair, perhaps snuggling just a little bit against Sam’s side, when Kevin caught her attention from a few tables away.

He smiled and signed “ _Claire says she wants an encore_ ” over to her and Eileen laughed, relaying the message to Sam, who gave her the biggest bitch-face she had ever seen. It was adorable.

It continued like that for a little while; they would talk happily with Sam’s family, but every now and then, Kevin would grab Eileen’s attention and sign a joke over to her from across the room. Sam was getting increasingly shifty about it.

Eventually, Eileen smiled at him and asked: “Are you jealous?”

“No!” he was quick to insist with a violent shake of his head. But then… “Maybe a little.”

Eileen laughed. “Do you want me to stop?”

“It’s fine,” Sam insisted. “And even if I wasn’t… I can’t exactly go tell him off for flirting with my girlfriend when I’m kinda the reason why he died.” He said it as a joke and followed it up with a nervous laugh, but Eileen knew that he still did blame himself for that. He didn’t seem to be in the mood to actually talk about that right now, though, so Eileen just pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I only have eyes for you,” she told him, enjoying the slow smile which spread across his lips.

* * *

Garth and Bess were the first people up and dancing. They loved to dance, to all types of music: rap, pop, rock, you name it, and they danced to it. And since Dean and Cas had decided against having a traditional ‘first dance’ moment, Garth just decided to drag Bess up on her feet the moment they finished eating. They swung happily around the tables, laughing loudly as Warrant’s _Cherry Pie_ blasted through the speakers.

Soon, everyone else was joining in.

Well, almost everyone… and that just wouldn’t do. So, a few songs later, the two of them moved over to the happy couple’s table.

Dean was already telling them no before either Garth or Bess had opened their mouths to extend the invitation.

“Now, don’t be such a sourpuss,” Garth goaded. “I can tell you’ve got dancer's hips. Come have some fun!”

“Yes, Dean,” Cas said, smiling. “Those hips don’t lie.”

Bess laughed and reached down to pull Cas to his feet; the former angel went along happily to the dancefloor. Dean stared after them for a moment before sighing and standing to follow.

“That’s the spirit!” Garth encouraged and quickly ushered Dean along to join his partner.

“Damn you’re strong,” Dean complained… or maybe it was a compliment. Garth wasn’t sure. But it didn’t matter because soon he was stepping away from Garth and up to Cas, just in time for the song to change. Garth took Bess’ hand and spun her around while the guitar opening for Scorpion’s _Rock you Like a Hurricane_ blasted through the speakers.

All around them, people cheered as Cas and Dean wrapped their arms around each other and began swaying to the music. Embarrassment flushed Dean’s cheeks a bright red and made his movement stiff and jerky, but that didn’t keep the grin from forming on his lips.

“Come on, Dean,” Donna encouraged. “We know you can do better than that!”

“Yeah, put your ass into it!” Jo added on, and Cas let out a happy laugh as he took control of their dance and led Dean around the floor.

Garth rested his head on top Bess’ head, sighing contently while surrounded by so much love and laughter. Being a father made him happier than anything else ever could, but it sure was nice to spend time with his other family every now and then too. Maybe once Gertie and the twins were older, they’d all be able to visit more often.

After that song was finished, Crowley started belting out a few songs on the karaoke machine… who would have thought the former King of Hell would be such a fan of love ballads? Garth especially enjoyed his rendition of The Bangles’ _Eternal Flame_. He really sang from the heart. Or… the black pit where his heart should be, anyway.

Garth and Bess continued dancing as more and more people joined in with the karaoke takeover. Surprisingly, that eventually included Cas and Dean, who both got up with a bottle of champagne between them, singing and dancing along to ACDC’s _Shook Me All Night Long_. Dean was really getting into it as they belted out the verses, and Garth was glad to see him enjoying himself so much. By the time they got to the guitar solo, the newlyweds just started making out on stage, and everyone hooted and hollered. Still, they didn’t seem to care, not bothering to continue on with the final chorus as they got progressively handsy up there.

“I sure am glad your father already picked Gertie up,” Garth said, and Bess nodded and laughed. Their kids were all staying with him for the weekend to allow Garth and Bess some husband-and-wife time. Gertie _had_ begged to stay past the ceremony, but a hunter wedding reception really was no place for a child.

“Get a room, you two!” Sam shouted as the song ended, but neither Dean nor Cas was making any move to stop feeling each other up on stage.

“Reminds me of our wedding day,” Bess laughed, and Garth rested his head on hers again.

“Yeah,” he sighed happily.

* * *

Dean felt flushed and nervous as Linda passed him the microphone. He’d had everyone’s eyes on him all day, and that had been bad enough, but this time felt different. Because now it was time for his speech, and speaking from the heart wasn’t always something Dean was good with. And he didn’t think he’d ever so much as _tried_ it in public before.

He was perhaps beginning to sweat just a little with all this attention today, so it was probably a good thing that he wasn’t wearing makeup anymore: Jack had healed up that black eye for him right after the ceremony. Again, Dean had made him promise not to tell anyone about that. Not today, anyway. No one wanted his jackass of a father to ruin their day, and he was _sure_ that Cas would march out of here right now to beat the crap out of John Winchester if he knew about the fight he’d gotten into with Dean and Sam last night…

But that wasn’t worth thinking about right now. The _only_ thing Dean wanted to think about was how much he loved his _husband_. He stood there beside the three-tiered cake – which, yes, okay, Dean wasn’t a huge fan of cake really; but this one did look pretty amazing, so props there – and cleared his throat as he began to speak.

“You know, when I proposed to Cas, we weren’t exactly looking at going the whole big family wedding and reception kind of route. But none of you would let us run off to elope in Vegas in front of an Elvis impersonator, so here we are.” That joke had the added bonus of being 100% true.

Dean thought on the moment of the proposal fondly now; it had been early in the morning, only a few days after getting Cas back from the Empty. Dean hadn’t slept much that first week. Not because he and Cas were doing it like rabbits (though, yeah, that was kind of true too), but because he was just too happy to sleep. His mind refused to shut-off.

On this particular morning, Dean had been awake for _hours_ , just watching Cas sleep. Watching the rise and fall of his chest, listening to the heavy sighs which escaped his lips, admiring the flutter of his eyelids and the occasional curve to his lips as he dreamt. They hadn’t put a name to what they were at that point, and Cas had been okay with that, but it had been bugging Dean. So, that morning, he just lay there and struggled to figure it out. And it _was_ a struggle. Because ‘lover’ was technically true, but it felt too flippant. ‘Partner’ was too… stale. Dean didn’t like it. However, ‘boyfriend’ seemed too juvenile, seeing everything they had been through together.

But ‘husband’… that one felt right.

So, when Cas woke up, Dean immediately got down on one knee and popped the question. And after spending another couple of hours wrapped up together, they showered, packed some clothes, and went to invite Sam, and Mary, and whoever else was around that morning, to see them get hitched.

But his brother had then quite literally stolen the keys to the Impala to keep them from leaving. He’d spent the next few hours talking them into agreeing to _this_ instead.

“Truthfully, I’m kinda glad that Sammy put his foot down about that, though,” Dean admitted. “As hunters, we get a bit too used to operating under the radar, but some things need to be celebrated. And when you got a man like Cas under your arm… you know, he’s worth showing off.”

Dean looked at Cas and winked.

“And today’s been pretty fun, actually,” he continued lightheartedly. “Even better than that time I killed Hitler.”

Everyone in the room groaned; they’d probably heard that story enough now, but Dean wasn’t done telling it so who cared?

Though, today, it didn’t bring quite the same excitement as it normally did. Today, the only story Dean actually wanted to tell, the only one to bring a flutter to his chest, was the one about him and Cas.

Dean smiled wider and turned to look at him again, at his _husband_.

He reached out and took Cas’ hand, pulling him closer so he could get a better look at those beautiful blue eyes. Dean would have thought that, after all the time he’d lost staring into them, he would be fed up with it by now. He wasn’t. He never would be.

“But I mean it, I’m glad to be here with you now, Cas,” Dean admitted, his eyes tracing the smile on his husband’s lips. “I’m glad that we’re celebrating this, that we’re doing it the right way. I’m glad to have you by my side, and in my arms, and tell you all the sappy shit I’ve always wanted to. Like…” Dean had to pause to take a deep breath, feeling his emotions begin to claw at his throat. But he wanted to say this. He wanted to say it all. So, he just cleared his throat and continued. “Like how I’ve been in love with you for so long, that I don’t even remember what _not_ loving you feels like.”

That received an aww from the guests surrounding them. Though, considering pretty much everyone here was a hunter, it was mostly in jest rather than sincerity. Dean ignored it. This moment wasn’t for _them_.

Cas was grinning up at him, his happiness sparkling in those beautiful eyes, and Dean wanted to just lean down and kiss him.

But he wasn’t done yet.

He had one last thing to say.

“We’ve only been together for a couple of months,” Dean continued, “but it already feels like I’ve spent a lifetime with you. And I’ll gladly spend a lifetime more.”

And _now_ they could kiss. So, they did. Dean leant over into Cas’ embrace, meeting his lips, and pulling him all the closer.

They received several wolf whistles for their efforts.

When they pulled apart again, Dean glared at his guests for the interruption, and they all just laughed.

Cas didn’t bother to pull away as he took the microphone from Dean. He kept one arm wrapped around Dean’s waist at all times and stood so close that he was practically leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder.

“I met Dean when I pulled him out of Hell,” Cas started talking, addressing the crowd. “As far as ‘ _meet-cutes_ ’ go –” he emphasised the words by making quotation gestures, made more awkward as he was holding the mic and refused to pull away to talk, and Dean rolled his eyes “– I’ve been informed that’s a rather good one.”

While everyone was laughing, Dean grinned. “We’re the best damn love story ever told, man.” He said it quietly, whispered it into Cas’ ear, so close that he brushed his nose against the hairs on Cas’ head. Obviously, no one else overheard him, but it wasn’t meant for them, only for Cas.

Cas grinned as he continued. “Before I first spoke to Dean, I spent much of my time feeling lost. I was… a good soldier, but not much more. I had brothers and sisters, I had a father, but I didn’t have a _family_ until I met you,” Cas said, turning to face him, and Dean pressed a short kiss against his cheek. He loved his sappy little angel. “That was when my whole life changed.”

_You changed me, Dean_.

Dean’s heart clenched at the reminder of Cas’ last greatest goodbye speech. It was both beautiful and painful.

“From the moment that I first knew you, you filled my life with love.”

_Everything you have ever done, you’ve done for love_.

Dean almost wanted to tell him to stop. To tell him that he couldn’t hear this again. But he didn’t because perhaps that was exactly _why_ Cas was saying it. The only other time that Cas had told him this, it had been moments before the Empty appeared and swallowed him up, taking him from Dean before he’d even had the time to process it.

But Cas didn’t want the words to sit with him like that; he wanted Dean to remember them in a different light.

So, when Cas paused, looking deep into his eyes as though asking for permission to continue, Dean nodded.

“Because that’s just the kind of man you are,” Cas said. “You’re caring, and thoughtful, and you are the most loving man I have ever met. Knowing you made me want to be a better person. Knowing you gave my whole existence meaning.

“For the past twelve years, I’ve fought by your side. I’ve fought heaven, and hell, and everything in between. I’ve chosen you over every _one_ and every _thing_ , again and again, Dean. And I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.”

“You’re a sappy son of a bitch, you know that, Buddy?” Dean said, finally feeling like he could breathe again.

“I’m aware,” Cas grinned. “I love you, Dean Winchester.”

This time, when they kissed, there were no taunts, only smiles and applause.

* * *

They cut the cake together, and Cas got a lot of fun out of stuffing a slice into Dean’s mouth and then licking the buttercream off his lips. Afterwards, the music restarted, and their friends and family found their ways back to the dancefloor, but the speeches had been an emotional drain for both Cas and Dean, and they decided to sit down to rest and just enjoy each other’s company for a little while. They’d re-join the party soon enough, he was sure.

But first.

“You didn’t mind me saying that, did you?” Cas asked, feeling suddenly insecure about his choice of topics. Perhaps he should have kept things light after all? But Dean eased Cas’ worries by taking his hand and pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“I never get tired of hearing you say how amazing I am,” he smirked, and Cas rolled his eyes. He settled back into his seat, leaning sideways and resting his head against his husband’s shoulder. _Husband_. He was sure that word would always fill him with butterflies. “I didn’t mind,” Dean eventually answered. “In fact… I’m kinda glad that you did.”

Cas sighed in relief, hearing the truth inside Dean’s words. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt him.

“I love you,” Dean whispered, his voice so soft and warm.

Cas smiled. “I know.”

“Oh, you did _not_ just Han Solo me at our wedding,” Dean said, affronted, and pulled back away from Cas to make eye contact. Cas laughed and leant over to kiss him. But when he pulled away, Dean was still pouting. “It’s gonna take more than one kiss to wipe this one away, Angel,” he said, and so Cas happily kissed him again. They stayed like that for a while, happy inside their own little bubble, holding each other and watching their wedding guests all dance and have a good time.

Hell, even _Crowley_ had perked up a bit… and appeared to be putting the moves on Benny. Cas didn’t see that ending well _at all_ , but at least he wasn’t actively trying to be a thorn in their wedding day anymore, so it was okay.

Truthfully, Cas hadn’t wanted either of them here – they were both Dean’s exes after all; or, well, _sort of_ anyway. Dean kept insisting that Crowley was less of an ex, and more of a regrettable fling.

But he was Dean’s friend. They both were.

Still, after Dean had decided to invite the former King of Hell to their wedding… Cas may have reacted pettily.

In hopes of giving Dean a bit of his own medicine, Cas had asked Jack to revive Meg for him so that he could invite her as well. Because if Dean wanted to play that game, then Cas sure as hell could too. Of course, because they were still so used to avoiding talking about their issues, Dean only responded in kind by asking for Benny to be revived.

Cas wasn’t proud to admit that this game went on for several days while the guest list expanded to include Hannah, Lisa Braeden, Cas’ sort-of-wife from when he had amnesia Daphne (and yes, he imagined that, if she had, in fact, turned up today, she would have been in for a shock), Dean’s ex-girlfriend Cassie, and the Djinn Queen that Cas may or may not be technically married to…

Sam had to step in then as the list of amicable exes ran thin, putting a stop to their showdown before Dean could make Jack bring back Anna, and before Cas could figure out what the real name for that reaper that he’d lost his virginity to was and bring her back too.

They made up the next day, of course. Dean had come to him with a peace-offering – the idea of having the ceremony out back and throwing seeds down as they left, in hopes that some would take root and create a wedding garden to commemorate their love – and Cas dressed up as a cowboy that night in bed. They rescinded all of the more stupid invitations. But, after a little thought, Cas decided to keep Crowley and Benny on the guest list after all because he knew it would make Dean happy and, at the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

Cas smiled over at Dean now, thinking again about how damn _lucky_ he was to have met him, and wishing they could spend the rest of their days in this very moment.

But then Led Zeppelin’s _Immigrant Song_ began to play, and Dean’s face just lit up.

Cas didn’t have to ask, he just grabbed Dean’s hand and led him back to the dancefloor. It wasn’t exactly a typical wedding song, but this wasn’t exactly a typical wedding. And anyway, Cas had made sure that all of the songs on Dean’s mixtape would be played tonight.

They danced for a while, together, only splitting up for the duration of one song when _Hey, Jude_ began to play. At that point, Dean and Mary had danced together instead while Cas watched on fondly with the rest of their family. After that, Dean declared that it was time for more pie. However, the pan on top of the pool table was empty, and they didn’t want to go back into the kitchen without asking the owner if it was okay first. So, Dean glanced around the room, looking for any sign of his strange but well-meaning friend.

“Has anyone seen Ash?” he asked his family once he came up empty.

“Not exactly,” Jack said, his tone very matter-of-fact in a way that gave them all pause to hear him out. “But I believe he is having sex with Rowena in the manager’s office.”

Sam did a literal spit take at that while Eileen patted his back, and Bobby laughed. Dean and Cas both just blinked at their son for a moment before they both split into laughter too.

“Well, it ain’t a party unless someone’s getting laid,” Dean said. “Good for them.”

“I thought _we_ were supposed to be the ones sneaking off for sex,” Cas said, and Dean flashed him a wicked grin.

Sam was already shaking his head and leading Jack away, covering his ears, before Dean could even respond with his: “What a good idea.”

Cas grabbed Dean’s arm and quickly pulled him along as they searched for somewhere private for a little fun, laughing when Dean used his spare hand to pinch his ass and leant in close to whisper filthy things into his ear.

Cas hummed, contently, his heart skipping in his chest.

He didn’t think he’d ever get used to this, to actually being with Dean, but he’d have the rest of his life to find that out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget your party favours on the way out, and maybe don't go creeping around outside the Impala or you might end up seeing something you weren't supposed to ;)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Chapel of Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30002418) by [OfAngelsAndMen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfAngelsAndMen/pseuds/OfAngelsAndMen)




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